Journey to the West: Alternate Take
by Fogdragon23
Summary: AU-ish Goku escapes from Shangri-La and gets rescued by a blond human. But why does his skin burn like the sun? What's the point in traveling with this priest? Status: On hold.
1. Escaped

**Journey to the West**

by fogdragon23

Warning: shonen-ai...maybe yaoi in later chapters...violence, cursing, guns, drinking, regular Saiyuki warnings.

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Chapter 1: Escaped

Flashes of red and gold were reflected back at him as he sped along the side of the celestial lily pond. The pond rippled and flowered in peace, not caring for the current situation. Loud hoots and hollers helped to shake the ground that the refugee was fleeing on. The regally garbed man lifted his hand and spun his reliable weapon in the air. "Nyoi-bo!" The long thin weapon darted forward, sparks of glowing yellow lights marked it as it grew in length and projected him easily over the calm water. He glided to his feet on the other side and continued his indecent rush to the gates. His golden eyes soon fell upon the green painted exit of Shangri-la. He gritted his teeth seething in knowledge that the gates could not break, would never be brought down. Yet they were still in his way and at this rate he was going to be cornered. White teeth flashed inside his smile as he forced his legs into a brake just before the doors. He held his trusted weapon horizontally from his body and cried out its name. "Nyoi-bo!" The weapon lengthened on both ends and smashed through the rock walls holding up the gates. With his own godly strength the Monkey King heaved against the weapon, forcing the walls to crumble before him. Without walls the gates were not able to stand against the Great Sage.

Now all the god could see was the tops of clouds. They billowed and swirled underneath him, sensing something was wrong. Small snakes of lightning crackled toward him in investigation. Though curious, the bolts were quick to scurry away when the Monkey King decided to jump for the land of the mortal world.

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"Get him!" screamed the Emperor to all those around him. "Stop him before he ruins the balance between our worlds!"

The temple of Shangri-la burst open as the many gods and goddesses scrambled to fulfill the Emperor's strangled order. The main gates were unceremoniously trodden on as the gods spilled over the edge of the Heavens. They broke off into small groups to cover more sky as their search began. Hundreds of different shaped bodies broke from the ribs of the clouds as they raced to be the first one at the Monkey God's throat.

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"Shut the fuck up!" demanded the blond, suddenly standing up at the table. "I will not suffer anymore of your crap today!"

Two heavy hands slapped the table with determined force. A man with red hair also chose to stand to gain better ground. "Well you won't have to if you just walk yourself out of here right now!" He flipped a thumb toward the pub entrance. "No one's stopping you!"

The blond turned on his heel to leave, "I'm going out."

The other man slumped back into his own chair with a bitter smile dancing on his face. "Who needs you anyway?"

The third party member had wisely chosen to stay where he was and avoid the argument. However now that one of the sides had left he was able to scold the other. "Do you think that was wise, Gojyo?" he asked lightly yet giving each word thier appropriate weight.

Gojyo made a sound of disgust before speaking. "I think it wouldn't be such a bad thing to exclude the bane of our party."

Fierce green eyes reflected his face back at him. "If that's how you want this to go...I'm going to tuck in then." The third man stretched and rose to his feet to go. "Goodnight, Gojyo."

"'Night, Hakkai," the redhead answered back over a can of beer. He brushed his lips over its cold edge before taking a sip. His hand disappeared into his jacket and he pulled out a red lighter and a thin cigarette. He flicked the flame to life and brought it to the end of his relaxation stick. The feeling of the spongy paper in his mouth brought him slight comfort in the desolate bar. He let his head slide back as he stared at the ceiling fan over him, watching the smoke flowing into it, "Goodbye, Sanzo. Good riddance."

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Once breaking from the cover of the clouds, the escaped god came to a realization that the world had gotten much bigger since the last time he saw it. Also, land was much higher than it had been in the past. A mountain rose up beneath him like a giant spearhead as he came closer to landing. Dirt crumbled from under his feet as he slid down the solid rock face with his expensive robes ripping behind him. Hunks of the light fabric broke from his body and drifted away on the much stronger wind. He surmised that he needed to find shelter, away from any possible search that was after him. He halted on a slim overhang to paused and plan. 'Well,' he thought, 'anywhere in the open is off-limits and most of the sky. I need an area that's low profile, for now. I could stay in the wild and risk discovery of my scent...or...clothe myself in the masses of humans...' He smiled at that thought, 'Gods are not allowed to show themselves in their true forms. At my rank, I could hold off any that find me with the mortals...perfect.' He placed his staff across his back to make moving across the mountain easier. He climbed his way down the rock face, head-first and with all four limbs pumping. His tail streamed behind him, making sure that he was completely centered in his steps.

To speed things along the god jumped from summit to summit until he encountered a deep valley that pocketed a small town in its canyons. 'Success!' he thought, proud of his discovery. He delightfully glided down to the town's ground level and boldly strutted through the strings of people. The strong scents of sweat, food, and sex filled his nose. 'I think I'm going to like it here!' Suddenly a very strong shoulder rammed his chest, forcing him into some of the people around him. "Hey!" he whined, feeling offended. A very strong looking man fed his gaze as he calculated what his next move should be. "What do you want?"

The man glared down at him with a snarl. "I've never seen you around here, boy. We don't tend to welcome visitors here."

"Boy? What are you talking about?! I'm over five hundred years old, creep!" Then again, that man did appear to be very large and so did the people around him. The Monkey Sage looked down at himself and exclaimed in shock. "I'm small!"

"I'll say," the gruff man spoke. "Small enough to cause trouble for the rest of us."

A low growl rumbled in Goku's throat. "I really don't get what your problem is. I'm not here to cause trouble, I just need to lay low for awhile!"

"So you're a thief," the man concluded, whipping out a hand gun.

"That's a cheating weapon," Goku stated, jumping back. Something got caught under his foot and he fell backwards. "What the-"

"Stay down," a different voice recommended. A metallic clack sounded and the big man switched to a new target. "Who the hell are you?"

Goku looked up at the man who accidentally felled him and squinted through the sun light. 'His hair...is as radiant as the sun,' he thought silently. 'Who is this man?'

A cigarette dropped from the stranger's lips to spiral to the ground. The strange blond quickly drew his own firearm and shot a succession of four shots. He cleanly holstered the gun in a hidden pocket of his jacket and offered Goku a hand. "Can you stand or not?"

Goku was too busy watching the dying man a few feet away to notice. By the time he figured out what had happened the blond was beginning to disappear in the milling streets. "No, wait up! What's your name?"

The blond shook his arm out of the god's grasp. "Don't touch me!"

A shock from the contact burned Goku's skin, "Ow! You feel like fire...what's with that?"

The man pulled Goku roughly aside, into a building. "What the hell are you?"

Goku blinked, "Uh, how did that pop up?"

"You say it burned? My skin?" the man spat.

"Yeah, it was like touching the sun."

"Then you aren't human," the man whispered, seemingly suspicious of all the people around them.

The Monkey Sage considered the anxious tone in the man's voice. "What's it to yah?"

The man pulled away and looked down the busy street. "Nothing. Just leave me alone." He turned to abandon the god.

Goku snorted in irritation and slugged the taller man in the back. "You better tell me your problem or it's going to cost yah!" He dodged back from a well sized boot. "Ooh, close one!" He slammed his right palm on the heel of the foot to drive his opponent off balance. A hard right hooked greeted him and planted itself on the concrete building behind him.

"Fuck!" the other man exclaimed, babying the bruised fist. "Shit!" He drew his gun with the other hand and aimed for Goku's forehead.

Goku heard the bang and let his senses take over. Nyoi-bo flashed to his hand and he used it to block the tiny bullet. A few twists of the wrist and he chucked the bullet back at the same speed.

The man took the bullet in the shoulder and defensively dropped to his knees.

Goku grinned in victory, "You better be nice to me now or I'll kill you." Just as he predicted the man scrambled to his feet and took off toward an unfamiliar building. "No you don't!" The instant he was in the doorway another bullet came racing at him. He dodged and heard a death cry sound from behind him. "Whoops!" he said apologetically, at the shot person. "Sorry, I should have blocked it, huh?"

Another person in the crowd pointed at his rear. "He has a tail! Demon! It's a demon!"

"And I should have done something about you," he said to his oddity. "This day keeps getting better...whoa!" He ducked under a few flying fists from inside the building and pulled back. Staying in this place was not an option...at least not a smart one. He looked up the building's side and measured it with his golden eyes. "Lucky me, it's not too high. Nyoi-bo extend!" His body was propelled over the establishment and onto the hillside nearby. Dashing across the hill's surface, Goku made for a shallow gorge that opened at the bottom. It was very damp going in the ankle deep water but he shrugged it off. "At least they won't find me here," he assured himself.

The end of the gorge dropped into a shallow incline that led into a narrow yet dry cave. "Camp!" he cheered, sloshing to the narrow hole. "And I bet I can make some breathing space for myself." He lightly touched the tips of his fingers together and said a short chant. A path seemed to open up in his mind as the old language drifted from his lips. _Please Mother, spare your son a shelter worthy of your attention._

A low breeze caressed his ears and left a brisk message. _Only on the regular condition._

_No one will come here,_ Goku promised. _No one will know this exists._

_Then I agree to help you,_ the earth accepted. _Live in peace, little one._

Goku smiled as the entrance before him grew and morphed until the cave became more spacious and livable. "Thank you, Mother!" he cheered to the air before exploring his new home.

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"A _child _did this to you, Sanzo?" Hakkai asked the blond as he inspected the bullet wound. "That story is a little odd."

Sanzo clenched his teeth together as the brunette carefully pried the bullet out with a knife tip. "Nhg, that kid was _odd_. He had a freakin' tail like some sort of monkey! Ow!" He jerked his arm as the feeling of heat brushed his shoulder.

"Steady, Sanzo. I'm almost done." The brunette blew out the small match in his hand. He picked up a roll of bandages and applied them to the dampened wound. "Here we go..."

Sanzo rested the side of his fist against his lips trying to ignore the sharp pain. "He's no ordinary kid, though. My skin burned him, he said...he has no humanity left in him."

Hakkai smiled weakly, "Do you suppose he is of full blood?"

"I don't discount it," Sanzo scowled. "He didn't seem very half-assed to me."

Hakkai chuckled lightly, "If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you were giving him a compliment."

"Not likely," Sanzo degraded. "I'm not into kids."

"Is it possible that he's older than he seems?"

The other man placed a hand to his forehead to deepen his thoughts. "And act that stupid? Not likely."

Hakkai shrugged, his handiwork finished. "Well if it's all the same to you, I'm going to settle back into bed."

"So the high and mighty one decided to stalk back home," mocked Gojyo as he entered the room. "What happened? You get mugged?"

"Piss off!" Sanzo snapped.

Seeing it useless, Hakkai continued to make his way back to his bed in the next room. "Just don't bring down the Inn."


	2. Together

**Journey to the West**

by fogdragon23

Disclaimer: I do not own Saiyuki, I just adore it.

Warning: shonen-ai...maybe yaoi in later chapters...violence, cursing, guns, drinking, regular Saiyuki warnings apply.

Author's Note: I stuck a cameo in this chapter, I'm probably going to have one per chapter to make it interesting. A cyber-cookie goes to the person who can put a name to the character. Keep in mind, this is an AU fic so the character may or may not be their canon gender. Also thank you all for the reviews, they have been helpful and giving me incentive to keep going. I have decided on what I'm doing with this story so I hope you all stay with me. Sorry about the late update but I suffer from a severe case of writer's block. Enjoy! Please review! 8D

Chapter 2: Together

Towards midnight, the Monkey King soon became bored with his graciously given cave. He wandered out amongst the hills, looking for a chance to start a new game. 'The moon is very big,' he thought absently as he stared at the large disk. His tail twitched mischievously as his gaze slowly landed on a tall, decrepit tree a couple yards from him. A grin spread across his face at his new idea.

XXX

Sanzo couldn't sleep. Try as he might, all he could manage was to toss and turn and make himself more stressed. Images of the kid from earlier clouded his mind. 'What the hell _was_ he?' He grunted before rolling back over, nearly smacking his face against the wall. "Fuck it," he grumbled before setting up and standing. His sharp eyes navigated him to the other side of the room and into the inn hallway.

The inn was very quiet, only the soft sounds of snoring accompanied him down to the lobby. Not even the innkeeper was at the desk at this hour. "Tcht, figures," he murmured. 'I'd be the only one to have problems sleeping.' He passed the front desk, deciding to have a smoke.

A small breeze ruffled his bangs as he took his first step outside. He reached into a coat pocket and pulled out a thin cigarette that he clamped between his lips. He pulled a lighter from the same pocket and desperately tried to flick the item to life. Nothing happened. "_Piss_!" he said sharply, shaking the small vial of fluid. There wasn't enough in it to make a spark. He chucked the useless item over the inn roof with all his might and ferocity.

XXX

The Monkey King happily swung back and forth, upside down under the old tree. In his mind, if it didn't help him get to sleep, it would at least be entertaining. He reached out one hand to get a better grip on the branch when something small slammed into the back of his head. His eyes widened in panic as he fell from the stable branch, onto the hard ground below. He scrambled back up with a hand pressed to his injury. "What was that?" he wondered numbly, looking around for the presence of another. His quick eyes noted no one was around. He searched around where he had fallen until his foot hit something. The Great Sage picked up the small object and cradled it in one hand. "Doesn't look deadly," he said to no one in particular. He grasped the thing and pushed on the tiny red trigger. The trigger was very stubborn, even when he pushed on it with two thumbs. "Eh, junk..." he declared, chucking the object back into the direction it came.

XXX

The priest resigned himself to just leaning against the building, glaring at any passerby with suspicion. A silky black cat had crossed the calm road in front of him and jumped onto one of the inn's many window sills. It primly sat down, staring directly at him. "What?" Sanzo asked rhetorically, before taking a glance at the sky. The moon had swelled to its largest for the year. He flinched when something thudded against the roof over him. "What the hell?!"

"The moon is in its prime tonight," the cat remarked coolly from its sill.

Sanzo smiled grimly, "I thought I felt a demonic presence..."

The she-cat twitched an ear but its tone didn't change. "A demon, am I? You have a weak perspective of how the world works, my lad. Not everything can be categorized into humans and demons."

"Then what do you call yourself?"

The cat paused to lick her smooth chest. It was evident that she was going to explain things on her own time. She finished then licked her dainty opaque nose, "I am a cat, isn't it obvious?"

He barked a laugh in response. "Cat's don't _talk_."

She glared at him then, as if hunting a larger mouse. Her eyes changed to piercing and sadistic. "Have a care not to tell a lady what she is, if you get my _drift_." The last word was as sharp as the deadliest knife. A heavy sigh escaped her and she settled down, her long tail curling before her paws. "Not all take the form of man as their being, some relate more to animals in this world. Try to keep that in mind, young priest, for nothing is as it appears." She bounded back onto the ground and peered at the moon. "As a woman looks after a man, a fool will look after another fool. Among animals, black is the color of majesty. Keep these in mind, and you just might save a life."

Sanzo opened his mouth to retaliate but he realized that she had disappeared and he was alone. "Damn animals," he spat before moving more away from the town. He was aware that there was a lake just outside of town. "If there's a place to go in the middle of the night, it's there," he decided.

XXX

"_Booooored_!" Goku complained to himself. He was sitting nest to the tree with his knees to his chest and his arms crossed over them. "So bored!" His sharp ears caught the distinct sound of splashing in the distance. "Eh?" His tail hooked as he started to walk toward the sound. The dirt under his feet turned softer as he neared the water's edge. He became startled when his boot began to sink into the mud. Goku was not the kind to be able to stand in one place for very long, so he frantically pulled until his boot slipped all the way off. The mud plopped against the strain in protest. He promptly fell back on his rear, smashing his tail. "Ow!" Wetness sprang to the rims of his eyes.

This was a new feeling. He brushed a hand over one eyes to get rid of the odd water. "What's this?" he questioned himself. Then he heard the splash again, making him nearly forget his pain. He regained his footing and kicked off his other boot, he did feel he needed it anyway.

Goku followed the sound down the bank until he glimpsed a figure squatting next to the lake. The figure seemed vaguely familiar...he sniffed the air suspiciously. Smoke, it was so strong here. Was this creature a demon? An immortal like himself? He neared but tried to remain silent, one could never be too cautious around strangers.

The stranger was doing something odd. It was throwing rocks across the lake's face, making it bubble in small protests. He tilted his head to one side in further puzzlement. What gain was this stranger getting from torturing pebbles? A sharp pain from his wounded tail made him whimper. He clenched his teeth, trying to muffle the sound.

Something silver flashed in the stranger's hand as he stood up, straight and proud. "What do you want?" It was more of a command than a question.

'That voice,' Goku recalled. "I...why were you drowning rocks?"

"What?"

"The rocks..." Goku said a little slower. "You were throwing them at the lake. Did the lake hurt you?"

The man looked at him with a very lost look. After a moment he withdrew his weapon and turned back to the lake. "Just get out of here, kid."

"Kid?" inquired Goku. His name wasn't Kid, "My name's, Goku and I am...-" A pang of hunger gripped his stomach in an iron hold. He doubled over with a tiny grunt. He sensed worry from the other, "I'm _hungry_..."

The stranger was close now, within arm's length. A sigh escaped his lips, one of relief and disgust. "I'm not the one you should beg food from."

XXX

Hakkai was past worrying, he was downright anxious. Sanzo had left a couple of hours ago, he should have been back from a smoke by now. And the sorry excuse for a kappa wasn't helping him sleep with his consistent snoring. He made a mental plan that next time they ordered two rooms, he'd take the one with the single bed.

It was then that he heard their room door creak open. His hand navigated to a scroll hidden under his pillow, feeling the small edges of the parchment.

"Hakkai."

He hesitated, looking over at the prone kappa. He sat up and pulled his glasses from the nightstand, placing them on his nose. He smiled at the priest, "Had to get more cigarettes?"

Sanzo humphed a response. "There's nothing open at this hour." He pulled something by its clothes from the hallway and threw it at Hakkai.

"Ugh!" Hakkai choked. He instantly knew this was a person, and a small one at that, but he was far from being light. He blinked up at the new person. "A boy?" Something fuzzy brushed his wrist, tickling the skin, "With a tail...hello."

Goku looked down pathetically at him. "Hungry."

"Oh," Hakkai answered as the bedside lamp flicked on under Sanzo's coarse fingers.

"That's all he's been saying all the way back here," Sanzo mumbled. He went to Gojyo's bedside and stole his lighter, burning one of his own cigs to life then blowing a drought of heavily tarred smoke at his face. Gojyo woke up, abruptly sputtering.

"What the fuck, man?!" His sheets strained against his legs as they flailed.

"You're lucky I didn't use your eyes as ashtrays."

"_Hungry_!"

"Who the hell is the boy with the _furry ass_?!?"

Goku stuck his tongue out at the water sprite and blew a raspberry.

Gojyo scowled, his eyes still stinging from after effects of smoke. "Oh that's real clever. Anyone want to fill me in on this? Since when do we kidnap annoying little kids?!"

"Get off me, please," Hakkai asked the boy. He kicked himself off the bed and began rummaging through their food packs.

"Hey. Hey. Oi!" Gojyo protested, seeing food being moved around. "I think I deserve an explanation here!"

Hakkai easily ignored him. "So," he said conversationally at Sanzo, "this is the same boy from earlier? The one who hurt you?"

Goku's eyes widened, he put a hand to the back of his head disarmingly. "Oh...I'm kinda sorry about that...heat of the moment...?"

"The very same," Sanzo mumbled.

"What? A little kid brought The Great Sanzo down?" Gojyo mocked with a conniving grin. "Lemme guess, it was your own bullet?"

Sanzo gripped Gojyo's undershirt in his hand and pulled him to his knees on the bed. "What of it, you sorry sake sucking kappa?"

Hakkai offered a loaf of bread to Goku, then rounded on the other two. "Sanzo, Gojyo, cut it right now of I'll flush your cigarettes _and _booze."

Silence followed and Sanzo released his victim. He puffed at his current cig while devising all the things he could do the the kappa out of Hakkai's sight.

Gojyo mumbled something about lack of sleep then burrowed his head in his pillow. His red hair fell in crimson streams over the fabric.

"He says his name is Goku," Sanzo said more to fill the silence.

"Nice to meet you, Goku. I am Hakkai," the dark haired man nodded. He indicated Sanzo with a finger, "and he is Genjyo Sanzo..."

"No he isn't," Goku said innocently, "Sanzo is a human title. He is not human."

Sanzo's breath caught in his throat, nearly choking him on his own smoke. "You are very wrong, I was born human."

Goku took another big bite out of his loaf. "That could be but your soul isn't human. I know because I can't touch you without pain, you are a different class of immortal than me."

"This kid is nuts," Gojyo remarked from his pillow. "There is absolutely no way Sanzo and you are anything but mortal. I've known this guy for what? Three years now? If he had a magical bone in his body, I think I'd know."

Sanzo flicked his still lit cigarette in Gojyo's direction. "Don't speak unless spoken to."

Hakkai pressed the topic forward. "So why does it hurt you to touch him?"

Goku spun the last half of loaf on his palm. "Immortals work in classes, I am a high class and he is a high class. So our powers conflict on contact, it's simple."

"Maybe not as simple as you think," Hakkai said in confusion. Perhaps it would make more sense in the morning, "Um, not to be pushy but I'm very tired..."

Sanzo sighed and stood, leaving for the door. "Come on, kid."

Goku gulped the last of his bread and ran after him. "Does that mean I sleep with you?"

"You're sleeping on the floor."

Hakkai chuckled as the door closed behind them. "I think we've stumbled on Sanzo's match."

"I think you're out of your mind, Hakkai," Gojyo grunted, reaching for the lamp switch.

"Maybe," Hakkai replied, putting his glasses back on their perch before lights-out.


	3. Let's Go!

**Journey to the West**

by fogdragon23

Disclaimer: I do not own Saiyuki, I just make plot bunnies.

Warning: shonen-ai...maybe yaoi in later chapters...violence, cursing(colorful Gojyo dialogue), guns, drinking, regular Saiyuki warnings apply.

Please remember I treasure reviews. I need them to keep going. XD

Chapter 3: Let's Go!

"I am disgraced..." a deep voice boomed.

"But, father, I..." another different voice responded.

"I refuse to hear of it," the deeper voice spoke. "There is no honor in thievery and it shames me to know that my own blood has committed thus."

"I...I did nothing that you wouldn't have done," the other defended in renewed strength.

"Hmph. That may be so, but you are not yet ready to ascend me. There are still many things you must learn before coming into power, humility is definitely one of them."

"What are you thinking?" his father's mind was dangerous at times like this and he did not enthuse to be subjected to it.

His father smiled, "...I am going to give you a lesson to reduce your arrogance. Believe me, you will thank me later."

XXX

The prince wrinkled his nose at the pane of glass between him and his contracted companions, new morning sunlight refracted across the glass. 'Thank him? I'd rather strangle him! Sending _me_ to the mortal world...' He placed a thick nail to the window and drew it down in a long, painful screech.

_BANG!_

The window shattered before him, a thick pain filled his chest and being. He plummeted from the second story to the ground, body laid out. Heat filled blood shot up his throat, gushing across the ground in a thin stream.

"What the fuck was that?!" screamed a blonde haired man, a small pistol in one hand, aiming for another shot.

The prince's red eyes glared at the priest, hot tempered and loathing. "I could ask the same of you, Chosen Priest."

Goku yawned and peeked out the window sill, all eyes and messy hair. "Oh...a dragon..."

The prince spat a shot of crimson, turning his head to the immortal. "..._Monkey... Sage..._?" Words could not describe his confusion, he just could not believe his eyes.

"You know the puny lizard?" Sanzo asked, not shocked by anymore crazy talk. Spending one night with the boy was enough to make him start believing in pixies and unicorns.

Goku's eyes narrowed then he shook his head. "Got me, they all look alike."

Since the puny lizard comment, the prince inspected himself more. Somehow in the excitement of finding this inn, he had forgotten about his cursed form. "I don't usually look like this," he gestured with a claw. "I am usually at least the size of this dirty inn."

"Whoa, I've never seen a dragon in it's full form before," Goku admitted in amazement.

"A mortally wounded lizard is speaking to me and my monkey is responding," Sanzo sighed. He put his gun away and went back to the bed. His hand searched the end table for a smoke, then lit it with Gojyo's stolen lighter.

Goku grinned and scaled the side of the building, landing with absolute ease to the ground. He approached the small ivory dragon. "So...are you dying?"

"I wish," the small dragon righted himself and shook his long neck absently. "Regeneration runs in the family, you could say."

Goku sat on his haunches and poked at the dragon's head. "You aren't mortal either then."

"What's it to the Monkey Sage?" the dragon spat back. His chest wound steadily disappearing into healed scales and skin.

Goku ignored the question, thinking it too boring to talk about right now. "So what are you doing here? Do you come often?"

The dragon flapped up to face level on rather large wings. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't be here if it was up to me. I was sent to join your quest by my father."

"Quest?" Goku tail curled and twisted in renewed interest. "What quest?" Was this odd group together on some sort of trip? He supposed he never asked and it would explain why the crack team was loosely working together. They just didn't come off as the sort of people who would normally care about each other.

"Well...I suppose it's more like the priest's quest," the dragon mused. "But as long as I get the priest wherever he needs to go, to do whatever he needs to do, I get to go home." It was still hard to admit he knew nothing of what the quest pertained to. He was also a little suspicious that the Great Monkey Sage had no idea what was going on...why was he even here? One would think it'd be a bad idea to send him to the mortal world for any reason.

"So...you're stuck here," Goku smiled. He wasn't going to be alone after all and that just made his day. "Come," he said before just grabbing the dragon prince out of the air and scaling back up the side of the building. He jumped through the window and felt cold metal on his forehead.

"Don't do that," Sanzo growled before setting the weapon back onto the wooden end table. "It's unnerving."

The small dragon's eyes widened. "_You_ are threatening the _Monkey S_-!" Goku's hand muffled his shocked dialogue.

Sanzo grinned in a way more murderous than happy. "That's right, and I'd blow your head off too if I didn't have this cigarette," he motioned with the item of conversation.

The prince struggled, very offended on the behalf of immortals everywhere. He was not about to let a common mortal harass and mock all of them by threatening one of the most chaotic immortals out there. And then he sensed a warmth emanating from the human that was very similar to the warmth his father gave off. Dragons worked differently from demons and other immortals, they gave off heat to represent their power and in turn could sense heat given off by others, no matter the walk of life. Sanzo's power was strong and very...enveloping. Was this the reason the Great Sage lurked here? To be around this power? He fell silent and ceased to struggle, it wasn't doing him much good to fight against the inevitable. The hand released its grip on his head and he breathed out. "You are a very confusing human."

Sanzo didn't even dignify a response, he just watched the smoke of his cigarette snake over the dragon's face. "So what do we know about him?" the question was very directed to Goku. He didn't trust the kid but he did trust him to find things out about strangers.

"Just a dragon," Goku said simply.

"I am NOT just a dragon!" the prince protested. "I am Hakuryu third son of the Dragon King and I have been sent to help you on your voyage so be grateful!" He was so angry that his voice cracked into a squeak towards the end of his sentence.

Sanzo just looked at Goku for an explanation, continuing to effectively ignore the dragon's outbursts. "Translation?"

Goku clicked the pieces together of what he knew and what he just found out. "He did something bad and now has to follow you until he regains his father's good graces...that's all I know. He isn't here of his own free will."

Sanzo tapped some ashes into an ashtray. "Figures, I get more morons everywhere I turn. It's best we get the others and move out."

"Where are we going?" Goku asked wanting to know the information that he had not thought to question before.

Sanzo put out his cigarette with a bit of irritation written on his face. "West."

XXX

"Oi! You call this liquor? This shit's weaker than my grandma's piss!" Gojyo complained in not so low tones to the hassled barmaid.

She looked at him like he had grown a second head and was working on a third. "What?" she managed weakly.

"I'm tellin' you this place has horrible piss beer. I ordered my beer to be hard enough to kill the person next to me every time I swallow down my piss beer!" Gojyo half explained and half protested. His fist hit the tabletop with enough force to chip the wood.

Hakkai waved at the woman in silent apology. "He gets this way when he's sober, don't mind him. It's a condition of his."

"O...kay," she wasn't sure what to do with the information. They really didn't have anything stronger than what the red head had and he didn't seem to care for it. "Um...I'm gonna wait on another table," she said hesitantly before speeding off.

Hakkai sighed in embarrassment. "Just drink what they gave you," he decided. "It doesn't matter that much does it?"

"It's just not working Hakkai, I'm getting worse," Gojyo said, pointing to the crack he made in the table. "Soon I'm going to bring the house down." It wasn't just a condition that he suffered from, it was his lifestyle. He needed booze in order to keep himself complacent and in control of his powers. Without a drink now and then, he would turn into the raging water ogre that Sanzo had discovered _years_ before this trip even started. Yet somehow, the alcohol wasn't affecting his system as it used to; his body seemed to be becoming tolerant and that was not a good sign.

"It is a problem but we don't have the means to fix it," Hakkai said in little help. He didn't know what to do for his friend either. "I suspect it is a stress issue. Maybe you should go back home after all."

"What home, Hakkai?" Gojyo's voice was thick with his emotion. "It's barren from sky to shit hole now. If I didn't try to eat that priest, I'd be a bleached skeleton by now." Though he cursed Sanzo up and down for it, he still owed him for the incidental saving of his life. "I have nothing else to do, no bonds to hold me...except for my thirst and lust."

A lighter clanked against Gojyo's skull, then skittered across the table. "Stop being so annoyingly depressing," Sanzo scolded as he approached the table, "it gets on my nerves." He had a newspaper rolled in one hand, menacingly and he dared Gojyo to say anything about it.

"Pfft. Your existence is depressing," Gojyo cracked. It was followed by a harrowing smack from the newspaper across his face. "Ou!" he winced, cradling his now ink stained cheek. "Do you have to do it so hard?!"

"Not really, but I make exceptions for the stupid morons I know." He smacked him again, this time twice on the top of the head.

"Geez! I give!" Gojyo shouted under the blows. "What was all that even for?!"

"Because I can _feel_ your stupidity through the walls," Sanzo grunted before throwing the paper aside, not really caring where it landed. "Let's go, the kids are waiting."

"Wait there's more than one?!" Gojyo exclaimed, feeling betrayed somehow.

Hakkai let out a held breath and went to pay for their drinks.

XXX

Author's Note: Sure, after I say there's going to be a cameo every chapter, I don't do it. lol

Okay so this chapter didn't get as far as I wanted it but the last part was a nice stopping place, I think. I will save horrible cliffies for later when we get into the fun fighting. I changed my mind about where the plot was going. I was originally going to only do the princess plot of _Journey to the West _but...screw it, we're going after the sutras, baby! XD And thx again for all the positive reviews!


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